Word of Mouth
by nozomi.no.uta
Summary: She was never one to chase rumors. The ones Larxene hunted tended to be especially far-fetched. Short additional prequel to "The Kismet Scribe."


**Author's Comments: **Hooray! Finally got this out. I've been itching to write fanfics lately, and part of me wanted to revisit _The Kismet Scribe_ a little bit and bring a new perspective on the story. This is an additional prequel to _The Kismet Scribe_, but it occurs earlier than _Set in Motion. _I've become a lot more busier, so I was hoping to get this up on FFN as soon as I could. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

She resolved to try again today. Perseverance was the key to success, right? She'd admit she wasn't sure what it was she wanted to accomplish. Still, whatever it was _had_ to be better than weaving lies into a boy's mind and tearing him away from his friends.

All she could discover came from the gossip passed between Marluxia and Larxene. Such gossip passed rarely--the two Nobodies were always conspiring against the organization…or, at least Marluxia was. Larxene always distracted him with her whisperings.

The pencil in her hand strayed from its path when she learned about the inhabitants of the Castle that Never Was: Xemnas, Saix, Xaldin, Xigbar, Luxord, Demyx, Roxas, and _another_, one who supposedly held powers that could surpass the likes of the Keyblade Master.

_False rumors._ She shook her head, refocusing on her drawing. _Sora's might isn't to be taken lightly._

Neither Marluxia nor Larxene had actually seen the mysterious individual. "Only the Superior and Saix know what he looks like," Larxene whispered. "They keep him locked in a secret room."

Marluxia sniffed, shuffling papers around with mild faux-interest in the conversation. "Doing what?"

"From what I could hear, it sounded like the Superior was saying something about _memories_."

_Memories?_ She straightened up half an inch at the word. _Is he like me? Can he manipulate memories?_

She pushed aside her former assumptions and balanced her drawing with her eavesdropping. Months passed between Larxene and Marluxia's gossip sessions, but slowly she pieced together the puzzle, unsure of exactly how large the puzzle would become.

"He _records_ memories!" Larxene nearly screamed one day. "How else could he remember everything?"

Marluxia didn't sound too impressed. "Larxene, if you don't start focusing on the task at hand, nothing will be accomplished."

"Don't you get it, Marly?" she huffed. "This memory recorder could _be_ the task at hand. Maybe the Superior is distracting us from his real purpose. Maybe he sent us away so he could--"

"The task at hand, Larxene, is to capture Sora and use him against Xemnas." He flicked a pink bang away. "Once we get hold of Sora, it won't matter whether Xemas has plotted something against us."

"Haven't you been listening?" Larxene hissed. "Sora might not be enough against him. He could overpower that brat."

Marluxia began to respond but then stopped and darted his eyes toward her. "Namine? Don't take after Larxene's recent tendency to chase after fantasies. Get back to work."

Namine resumed drawing, but the conversation burned in her mind. She almost drew a picture of Sora being knocked down by a hooded figure in a black organization cloak.

Between drawings, she'd play with the idea of recording memories. Did that mean _her_ memories were being recorded now? What would he do with those memories? How exactly could he surpass _Sora?_

Fruitlessly, she'd try to discover the answers to these questions on her own. Larxene was no longer allowed to mention the subject of the memory recorder or sneak back to the Castle That Never Was. Namine tried reaching the memory recorder through her thoughts (_Can you hear me? Who are you?_), but she only felt like she was thinking to herself.

Marluxia nearly never left her alone anymore. He hovered over her shoulder, watching her deft slim fingers sketch out images with her colored pencils.

Today, however, Marluxia mentioned being in another room in the castle. Today, like any other day, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen were on the basement levels. Today, Larxene was attending to Sora.

Today, after two months of constant hovering and failed attempts at reaching him through her thoughts, Namine decided to try talking aloud to the memory recorder.

She hesitantly opened her mouth, praying her solitude would last. "Hello?" she called out quietly. "Can you hear me?"

Silence echoed back, but somehow she felt less alone...like the silence itself was responding to her in some weird way.

"I'm Namine," she went on with a little more confidence. "I've heard rumors about you, but I don't even know your name."

_Rumors?_ the silence asked. _What kind of rumors?_

"I've heard you hold great power." She rested her hands on the sketchbook on her lap. "You're rumored to have the potential to beat Sora."

The silence lingered for a few moments before Namine felt the air in the room shift. _Do you believe these rumors?_

She hesitated, searching for the right words. "I...might. I've also heard you keep memories...everyone's memories. If you can manipulate the memories you keep, then there isn't a doubt that you can at least equal Sora in strength."

She thought she heard the silence snicker. _I suppose your judgment on the matter would serve best. You yourself are a manipulator of memories._

Namine couldn't hold back her flinch at the sharp chill in the air. She settled for changing the subject...sort of. "It's already a difficult task for me to keep track of just Sora's memories. I can't imagine keeping track of everyone's. Doesn't your mind become...disoriented?"

She couldn't sense a confirmation or a denial in the empty room.

"Do you have an outlet to organize the memories you store?"

Namine assumed the silence was a denial...or an invitation for suggestions.

"Would you like to draw?" she murmured. "Maybe drawing will help you sort your thoughts."

As soon as the words left her lips, a heavy weight sat on Namine's chest. She knew she couldn't feel, but the first thoughts that came to mind to describe the sensation were despair and hopelessness.

"...I see."

* * *

_She rarely fell asleep. On the few occasions she did fall asleep, she never dreamed._

_Namine could only assume this was dream. How else could the white walls have become inked in pitch black? How else could this girl have appeared before her?_

_Her short dark hair framed her round blank face. She wore a familiar organization cloak and a dark pair of gloves, but Namine didn't recognize her as any Nobody she'd met._

Is she a new member?_ she wondered, her bare feet padding against the ground as she made her way towards the girl._

_It wasn't until Namine touched her hand when the girl finally registered her presence. The girl didn't flinch or jump; she merely locked eyes with Namine for a few long moments._

"_Hello," Namine began, willing a soft smile to grow on her face. "My name is--"_

"_Namine," the girl finished for her. "I know who you are."_

_Her eyes widened. How did she…?_

_The girl allowed a small smirk. "I am Maxiin, the Kismet Scribe…or, as Larxene's been calling me, the 'memory recorder.'"_

_The memory recorder…is _female?

"_Maxiin," Namine repeated slowly. "It's good to finally meet you in person."_

_Maxiin scoffed quietly. "I only wish this meeting were in person."_

_Namine, a little confused, asked, "What do you mean? I understand this is a dream, but..."_

_Her dark brown eyes flicked to Namine's blue ones. "But it's rare to meet in dreams anyway and meeting in this fashion is better than not meeting at all. I know. You're right." She sighed. "Still...as you've heard, I'm locked up. I see no one but the Superior and his second...in person, I mean. I see everyone else all the time."_

_She wasn't sure how to respond so she just settled for massaging her pale hands._

"_You're very talented at drawing, by the way," Maxiin said, noticing her hands. "You capture the right aspects of a person and convey them in your pictures well...even if the drawings cause Sora more trouble than you feel he deserves."_

_The corner of Namine's mouth twitched upward. "Thank you…I suppose."_

_Suddenly a laugh burst from Maxiin. "I'm sorry," she giggles. "I'm trying to think of things to say to you, but that was all I could come up with. I don't blame you if you feel awkward."_

_Despite the truth in her statement, Namine saw how beautiful Maxiin's smile was. Her own smile grew. "It's alright."_

"_It's just a little strange…" She shrugged. "This is the first conversation I've had with someone who isn't stuffing my ears with outrageous hopes and setting expectations for me…"_

_That beautiful smile soon sank. Maxiin's gaze drifted downward, and Namine couldn't help but think she appeared…lonely. The same sensation of having a weight on her chest returned, complete with the thoughts of despair and hopelessness._

_Without clear reason, Namine grabbed her hand, squeezing it with what she hoped would come across as reassurance. "It'll be alright, Maxiin."_

_A strange warmth pooled between their hands. Maxiin studied Namine's face closely, searching deep into her blue eyes._

"_It'll be alright," Namine repeated. She wasn't sure _what_ would be alright, but she chanted those three words like some sort of verbal safeguard. "It'll be alright."_

* * *

The moment she awoke, Marluxia commanded her to draw Sora. All she could think of, however, was Maxiin's gaze the moment they held hands. Her hands worked on their own as she dwelled on the strange presence of something behind those dark eyes.

She vowed to herself to draw Maxiin's smile as soon as she finished drawing Sora...a vow she was never able to honor.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please leave a review. It's been a while since I posted anything having to do with _Kingdom Hearts._ Happy holidays!


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